Environmental Problems: A Global Security Threat. Report of the United Nations of the Next Decade Conference (24th, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda, June 18-23, 1989).

Stanley Foundation, Muscatine, IA.

The world's political structure and many economic practices are out of harmony with nature. This disharmony threatens environmentally sustainable growth and human survival. United Nations (UN) conference participants discussed the degree of political acceptance of concepts such as environmental security and sustainable development. Their reading of the political situation was then used to analyze possible international responses to environmental degradation and natural resource depletion. Some themes which arose in discussing the international response were: (1) The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has done a generally good job in carrying out its limited mission with limited resources. (2) There is a need for policy coordination among nations, across international institutions, and bridging sectors such as economics, population, and environment. An intergovernmental body that meets at a high level is needed to cut through bureaucratic rivalries and to put political muscle behind initiatives. (3) A major institutional deficiency of the international system involves the failure to adequately measure and internalize all sorts of production in many economic enterprises. (4) The forthcoming 1992 UN conference on the environment should be a UN meeting, not a UNEP meeting, and there should be high-level participation from nations. If the momentum for change in international environmental efforts can be sustained, there is hope for near-term agreement on measures to curb planet-threatening abuses of the environment. A list of conference participants and the conference opening speech are included. (Author/JB)